SouthernMafia

My understanding of this is that internally a 37/5 and 37/7 are the same as a 37/4 so the sound file is acceptable for all subclasses.

I've noticed that new things appear on eBay a day or two before the big box shifters get them, so when you see them on eBay that's a pretty good indication they are here.

This is what I'm also likely to do, and if the 20 is tucked inside I won't even need to worry about the lights!

Yes I would say they run better, especially as they are for running as a pair: (This was taken before the thermal pad was added)

That is disappointing news on the marker lights, I was going to order a pair but will probably just get one now. One positive though is I'll only need to modify one end (cab end) since it will never run bonnet first and so I'll likely completely disable the lights at t'other end.

Got round to a decent filming session of my 159 speaker upgrade. Here's the result.

Bit more progress on the BDAs which are coming along. Stanchions to add when my load materials arrive: Also been working on converting a Hornby MK3 buffet to the correct TRSB style used in CrossCountry formations. Painted it up crudely to see how it looked. Further sanding required to hide the filler, and then fit some frames on the new and modified windows. The whole executive dark grey and top band will be airbrushed when complete, retaining the original Hornby colours elsewhere.

After doing a fair bit of research into Hamworthy steel trains I decided it was about time the BDA wagons got brought up to some sort of standard. The first task is to weather the decks and wooden supports using various acrylic paints. I then add brass square rod stanchions, and then the loads which will either be steel rod for the Cardiff to Northam portion, or flat aluminium billet for the imported loads from Holland which came through Hamworthy back to Cardiff, often heavily rusted! An air brush weathering of the underframe will finish them off, but as the airbrush is packed away for the Winter at the moment this won't happen for a while. So here's the clean rake of 7 behind a standard Bachmann factory "weathered" one, and an eBay procured weathered example: Factory weathered one with new stanchions: One nicely weathered off eBay, although I'll need to change the load: And just because I can, 37905 on the empties back to Cardiff: I've also weathered the deck on an Oxford Rail carflat, which is for a fictional Royal Navy transport train to Portland, conveying Land Rovers. I had one in blue already and fancied a second, as I had also bought too many Landies! The above is also a focus stacked image taken on the phone, using Open Camera, and then processed with Helicon Focus on the PC. Here's one of the originals to show how good this software is:

I think most agree that the factory fitted speakers in the 158/159 are pretty useless for any decent sound quality. So I set about upgrading them. The internals of the 158/9 are very impressive, some real thought has gone into it. Why couldn't they give the same thought to the speaker set up!? Best way to get the body off is remove the coupling and front skirt, then leverage that end up first with a screwdriver. Two 8ohm speakers have been fitted in the underframe, Bachmann have helpfully wired their circuit boards for two speakers in parallel so this gives the 4ohms. In the coach without the decoder, it's easy enough to slot the speaker into the space where the decoder would be: The piece of false floor with some engine bits on it will be modified and refitted. The speaker is wired to the S1 and S2 pins on the circuit board end, where the main coupling connector is wired to. The coach with the decoder in it required a bit more work. The small weights were removed, and a hole cut in the floor. Again, underframe bits modified and refitted: The speaker here is wired direct to the decoder, as it's closer. Because of the circuit boards sitting on top, you can't build a sound chamber onto the speaker. However, whilst not sealed completely, the body does a good job of providing a sound chamber, and it's a vast improvement. I haven't got much operational track at the moment to test, but here's a short video. The sound file is Biffo: I hope to get up on the club layout soon to do a proper comparison with my other 159. I'm optimistic at getting an EM1 in the second 159.

I think most agree that the factory fitted speakers in the 158/159 are pretty useless for any decent sound quality. So I set about upgrading them. The internals of the 158/9 are very impressive, some real thought has gone into it. Why couldn't they give the same thought to the speaker set up!? Best way to get the body off is remove the coupling and front skirt, then leverage that end up first with a screwdriver. Two 8ohm speakers have been fitted in the underframe, Bachmann have helpfully wired their circuit boards for two speakers in parallel so this gives the 4ohms. In the coach without the decoder, it's easy enough to slot the speaker into the space where the decoder would be: The piece of false floor with some engine bits on it will be modified and refitted. The speaker is wired to the S1 and S2 pins on the circuit board end, where the main coupling connector is wired to. The coach with the decoder in it required a bit more work. The small weights were removed, and a hole cut in the floor. Again, underframe bits modified and refitted: The speaker here is wired direct to the decoder, as it's closer. Because of the circuit boards sitting on top, you can't build a sound chamber onto the speaker. However, whilst not sealed completely, the body does a good job of providing a sound chamber, and it's a vast improvement. I haven't got much operational track at the moment to test, but here's a short video. The sound file is Biffo: I hope to get up on the club layout soon to do a proper comparison with my other 159. I'm optimistic at getting an EM1 in the second 159.

Just caught up on this thread, excellent standard and quality, very impressed. I spotted 47843 on eBay which led me here lol. A question for you, when you weather the underframe do you mask off the wheels? I always find there's an overspray if I don't and then there's the dreaded wheel clean process which I hate. I've made some card box covers for 37s and 47s which seem to work quite well, but haven't expanded out to other classes yet. Love 58033 btw, tempted to give it a go myself.

Sorry I meant its not right for the Ocean Liner Express, it says 'Buffet Restaurant Car' so which ever I bought I'd have to modify it. I think you're right in saying that Hornby have modelled 1696 in its 2007 condition.

Happy New Year to all. Another lockdown, excellent more modelling time then! Here's what I've been getting up to recently. Finally started on some reballasting of the new track in the Yard. As the ballast stock pile was out I set about adding some loads to my Wool sand rake and NR IOAs, using foam bases: Also been fiddling with my sound 37s, in particular 37057 which is quite an early Bachmann model and has always been a noisy runner. This received a new chassis and now runs very smoothly. As part of the process I've been tweaking the wiring and lighting set up, and now have independently controlled tail lights, and can also keep headlights on regardless of direction for shunting, as per video below: Aux 1 and Aux 2 are wired to tabs 2 and 3 to control the tailights, and underframe switches removed. Logic is then tweaked on the LokProgrammer to get them to do what I want. This very nice Cardiff Rod Mill SEA wagon was acquired, looks the part for my Hamworthy steel train:

1696 was part of the Ocean Liner Express charter train. It has a slightly different livery though to what Hornby are producing, and it says 'Restaurant Car' on the side not 'Kitchen Car'. I've bought one of the first releases which is also wrong, but as I've a Mk2 BFK to spray in green I will likely do the Mk1s too so they all match.

All I can add is that it was 18 wagons. I've gone for 15 with 1 pack of inners and 2 packs of outers so I'll have a fixed rake of 7 and 8 respectively.

Very pleased with my 10, another 5 to come tomorrow by the looks of it. I'd say the yellow is good, it might not be 100% spot on but weathering and toning will sort that out. Its also very much dependent on the light source, and the camera, it looks very different on my phone screen as to when I'm viewing the real thing in front of me.

This looks good, but the main headlight colour is still too warm.

Whilst I may have missed it in the thread when did the branding change from Procor to Caib? My rake is for the late 80s/early 90s Fareham stone, when did the ARCs finish on this flow?

Email this morning to say the first 10 of my ARCs are on the way!

Perhaps yourselves/Cavalex could think about producing some military vehicles to go with these/Hattons warwells?

I believe they are from the newer batch 2, you're thinking of 73205 GBRf, 73207 in GatEx, and 73141 in First GBRf. On a side note DCC Supplies are selling bodies from both standard and Olivias releases for £36, a veritable bargain ! If anyone has any dead or poor running chassis they wish to move on do get in touch via PM.

Given my sound fitted 66s a run today on the club layout, heres 66621 with Biffo/Hattons sound, but no EM2 - instead the 40x28mm speaker and enclosure as previously mentioned:

I think the new yellow looks good to me, vast improvement over the May image. Hopefully have these before Christmas!

Been fettling with sound installs this week, including the new Biffo 58, and a different speaker in the Hattons 66. Couple of videos for you: There's also been some sand added to the Wool sand train, about time!

Totally agree, I've installed these 40mm x 28mm Alan Butcher speakers in my two new DCC Ready ones and I much prefer it. Custom speaker enclosure the same size of the EM2 so its very loud and clear.